You asked a pro—he answered. Citytv's gardening specialist Frank Ferragine has solutions for our readers' green-thumb conundrums. Have a question that you don't see below? Don't worry; Frank will take more questions each month. Submit yours today.
Hi Frank,
We have an ivy plant in our house, for more than 7 years now. It was growing beautifully, with lush dark green leaves, until the last couple of months. Suddenly the leaves started to change into a yellowish colour and eventually became dry.
I can clearly see the ivy plant is dying :-( and can't find an explanation or cause?
Would you be so kind to have a look at the pictures and maybe give us some advice as to what can be done to save our plant?
Regards,
Jaro Filipik
Mississauga, ON
Hi Jaro,
Any time a plant is under stress, 'yellowing' leaves is one of the obvious signs. This could be related to either lack of light, lack of watering, a need of repotting and/or a lack of nutrients within the soil. You may want to consider repotting, fertilizing (with a fertilizer that includes iron) and I would also suggest checking for spider mite. If insect infestation is found, spray with Safer's 3 in 1. Another suggestion would be to take some cutting to start new plants and also stimulate growth on the existing plant.
Good luck,
Frankie
Dear Frank,
I have had three yuccas in my backyard for 3 years. They are doing well, lots of leaves and offshoots. How long does it take for them to develop those beautiful flowers on that long stem? I haven't had any yet.
Thanks for anything you can tell me.
Manny Watson
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Hi Manny,
Yucca /Adams Needles flower periodically, and only flower at maturity. Some find that during a season of drought, the following season the Yuccas bloom profusely. However, in my experience, I've seen Adams Needle flower for three seasons straight, then not flower for two seasons, before flowering again for another three. You must insure a full sun location and a well drained soil. After several years of growth, your Yucca may need to be divided. As long as you have lots of sun and your Yucca feet (roots) are kept dry, the next factor is just patience in waiting for them to bloom.
Frankie
Hi Frankie,
For my birthday I received some plants that are apparently great for cleaning the air in my home. I received Peace Lilies, Bamboo Palms and English Ivy. Can you tell me how to care for these? I don't have much of a green thumb but love these plants dearly and want them to do well here!
Thanks!
Caryn Liles
Toronto, ON
Hi Caryn,
My best advice in caring for indoor plants is not to over water. The number one killer of indoor plants is too much kindness and too much water; water only when dry. Peace Lilies do well in indirect, to low light rooms, whereas Bamboo Palms and English Ivy will do well in a bright room. Fertilize once a month with an all purpose water soluble fertilizer and enjoy.
Frankie
Hi Frankie:
Love you on Cityline. I hope you can help. I have just started getting into gardening. I have huge and small thorny, weedy thistles. I heard you say to use vinegar on them. How much vinegar to how much water; or do you use straight vinegar and how many oz.?
Thanks a bunch Frankie, keep up your fabulous work.
Susan Bridges (CityLine lover!)
Toronto, ON
Hi Susan,
Regular household vinegar is an excellent non-selective herbicide, with studies showing it works best on thistle like weeds. My advice is to spray on a sunny calm day, directly on the foliage at full strength. I've found that vinegar only works best in full sun locations.
Frankie
Hi Frank,
I watch you all the time on BT… its great!
I was wondering if you could help with a garden nuisance… the picture I attached with this [question] is a picture of a plant that grows aggressively in all my gardens and I can't seem to get rid of it. It comes back every year and is really difficult to keep under control… if I leave it; it just chokes out the other garden plants. It just grows on the surface but spreads rapidly and gets very thick as you can see from the picture.
I was hoping you would know of an effective way to eliminate this plant pest.
Thanks,
Monica Vermeiren
Cobourg, ON
Hi Monica,
This is a pretty common garden weed known as Purslane. Purslane is an annual weed which grows by seed and is extremely drought tolerant. The best control mechanism is to remove the weeds before going to seed. Hoeing of newly germinated weeds and mulching will also help. There is no easy way…just persistence.
Happy Hoeing!
Frankie
Watch for Frank Ferragine's Q&A column in The Epoch Times on the first Thursday of every month, and catch Frank on "Frankie Flowers" a weekly edition of "CityOnline" airing every Friday at 12:30 p.m.ET on Citytv Toronto and CP24 for more great gardening tips.
Submit your questions today to: AskFrank@epochtimes.com or by Fax: 416-298-1299 Attention: Frank Ferragine or mail to: Frank Ferragine
c/o The Epoch Times
103-201 Consumers Road
Toronto, Ontario M2J4G8
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